You make my whole world feel so right when it's wrong
by Len.chan
Summary: The first time it happens, Kimberly is a second away from doing something stupid (like erasing that fucking smirk from Amanda's face with her fist), before Jason puts a hand on her shoulder to stop her. Or how Trini keeps having suspicious encounters with Amanda, and Kimberly feels like she's stepped into the Twilight Zone.


_I was going to write something short, and this ended being almost 7k words long._  
 _As everything I write lately, this is unbeta'd and probably full of mistakes. You have been warned._

 _Yes, I'm going with Kwan for Trini, basically because her father in the movie was casted as Mr. Kwan, so I'm sticking to that. Also, the boys are mentioned, but they barely feature in this fic, so the story would almost completely on the girls' relationship._

 _As always, comments are highly appreciated._

 _*Title is from Kodaline's The One._

* * *

 _The first time it happens, Kimberly is a second away from doing something stupid (like erasing that fucking smirk from Amanda's face with her fist), before Jason puts a hand on her shoulder to stop her._

"Let her handle this, Kim."

"It's not her war."

"Trini made pretty clear that it was her war when she ripped out your locker's door," Jason states, "You can' tell that girl what battles to fight."

From where they're standing, Kim watches her friend face Amanda without an ounce of fear in her body. It's amazing how someone so tiny can have such an imposing presence. Kimberly can't really make out what they are saying, but she's pretty sure that she's seen the word 'dyke' leaving the cheerleader's lips.

But then, Trini is smirking, and stepping closer to the other girl, and something that Kimberly never thought she'd be able to see happens; Amanda hesitates. Not only that, but Kim is pretty sure that, for a fleeting moment, there's panic in her eyes.

No one understands what is happening. Not Kimberly, not Jason, and surely not Harper or the few cheerleaders backing up Amanda, who are actually waiting for their leader to have a proper comeback for whatever Trini just said to her.

But that never comes. Amanda remains silent, and Trini turns her back to the taller girl, closes her locker, and walks away shamelessly.

"What the hell did just happen?" Is the first thing that leaves Kim's mouth the moment Trini catches up with them.

"Hello to you, too, Princess."

"Do not _Princess_ me. What did she say to you?"

At their side, Jason sighs.

"What Kimberly means to say is; are you okay?" He asks, a bit concerned.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just had a showdown with the Head Bitch in Charge, Trini."

"I wouldn't call it a showdown," She shrugs, "We merely exchanged a few strong words, nothing more."

"Are you sure?" Kimberly needs to know that her mistakes won't make her friend's life harder at school, "I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

"It's okay. Besides, I'm pretty sure that I said some things that she wasn't expecting, and I kind of feel bad about that," Trini explains.

"What things?"

"Nothing that you need to worry about."

"Oh... Okay."

Kim tries to hide her disappointment, but is probably showing on her face. She knows that she has no right to ask Trini for an explanation, and Kimberly isn't going to try and force out of her friend whatever Amanda and her have talked about, but that doesn't mean it hurts any less that Trini doesn't trust her enough to tell her.

But the shorter girl must have sensed that something was wrong, because she's suddenly taking Kim's cheeks in her hands and staring straight into her eyes.

"Kim, hey, nothingthat Amanda, or Ty, or anyone else in this school says is going to make me change how I feel about you, okay? _Nothing,_ " Kim feels the skin under Trini's hands starting to burn, "I'm on your side, always."

Kimberly sighs, puts her hands over Trini's ones that are still on her face, and gives the other girl a nod and a faint smile.

"Okay," she mumbles.

"Okay?"

"Yeah," Kim nods again, this time fully smiling and finally looking at Trini.

"Perfect!" Jason exclaims, joining the conversation again and bringing back the girls from their own little world, "Now that we've averted another crisis, can we go? Zack and Billy are waiting outside."

"Yes, let's go," Trini adjust the backpack on her shoulder and starts walking behind Jason towards the exit.

Kim is about to follow her friends when, for some reason, she turns to the other side of the hallway, only to find Amanda staring at her.

"Come on, Princess!" Trini urges, "I'm starving and I'm pretty sure there's a donut with my name on it."

It's not until later at night, when Kimberly is already laying on her bed, and fighting with her pillow to get comfortable, that her brain seems to catch up with something that Trini said at school. Immediately, she's bolting upright in bed and reaching for her phone.

 **R u awake?**

She sends the text, not really expecting the other girl to answer. It's pretty late, and they all were exhausted after training that evening.

 **TinyT:**

 **I am now. Something wrong?**

 **No. Just curious…**

 **TinyT:**

 **About?**

 **What did you mean when**

 **you told me that whatever Amanda**

 **said wouldn't change how you**

 **feel about me?**

 **How do you feel about me?**

 **TinyT:**

 **:)**

 **That's not an answer, u ass.**

 **TinyT:**

 **Goodnight, Kimberly.**

 **Don't you dare.**

 **Trini…**

 **Answer meeee**

 **Trinidad –middle name that I don't**

 **know- Kwan!**

 **I hate you…**

* * *

 _The second time it happens, Kimberly is already having a shitty day._

She has barely slept, because her mind wouldn't let her stop thinking about what happened between Trini and Amanda the day before. Also because her friend is a little shit who let her hanging, without clarifying how exactly she feels about Kim.

It's also Trini's fault that now Kimberly can't stop thinking about _her_ feelings for the other girl.

She's never questioned her sexuality before; she'd never had a reason to, so the slight, brief gay panic that kept her awake last night was kind of inevitable.

In the morning, tired and sleepy, and after a quick breakfast that wasn't satisfying at all, she went to her car only to find that the battery had died. Her father had already left for work, so Kim had to call Jason to ask him for a ride to school. The moment the boy saw her face and asked if she was okay, Kimberly almost bit his head off.

And now, she's spending the free time she has until English at the bathroom, because her period has decided that it was an excellent moment to show up.

Although, looking at the bright side of the situation, being alone in a closed stall is giving her time to think about how she's going to approach the situation with Trini. She still haven't seen her friend this morning, but all the Rangers have lunch together, and both girls have Biology after that, so is a matter of time before Kim has to face her feelings, now that she's been able to put a label on them.

She likes Trini. Very much. In a non-platonic, _my-knees-go-weak-when-I-see-your-abs_ , kind of way. Seriously, Kim thinks is stupid how she hasn't realized before. Since the first moment they met, she's always been drawn to the other girl. For some weird reason, she's always felt the need to have Trini by her side, to spend time together, to share a donut without the guys around. At first, Kim thought it was about the bond they have as Rangers, because she also feels that strong connection with the boys, especially with Jason. She already made a mistake because of that, thinking that whatever she was feeling about him was something else. So, the easy conclusion was thinking that the same was happening with Trini.

The difference is that she's never been attracted to a girl before. Or, at least, she hasn't been aware of it. She's never craved the touch of another girl so much, never wanted to bury her hands in their hair, never before has Kim lost herself watching another girl's lips curving in a soft smile, or spent hours watching a single photo of a friend.

No, this thing with Trini is different, and now that she's realized, now that she's painfully aware of those feelings, Kim really needs to know if the other girl feels the same way.

Suddenly, the sound of the bathroom's door opening catches her by surprise, bringing her out of her thoughts and into the real world. Her first reaction is to jump on the toilet.

"...be just a minute. I'll catch you there."

 _Shit._

Of course it had to be Amanda.

Kim decides that the best course of action is to keep quiet and wait for her to leave.

She hears how the other girl starts rummaging into her bag, probably searching for some make-up to reapply it, when the door opens again.

"Uh... Hey."

Kimberly knows exactly who that voice belongs to.

"Hi," Amanda replies, and Kim wonders what the hell Trini said to her yesterday, because usually the cheerleader would be already jumping into her usual array of insults for the shorter girl.

"I'm just going to..."

"Ah.., yeah, of course."

Two stalls to her right, one of the doors open and closes, and Kim thinks that Trini will stay there enough time to give Amanda the opportunity to leave without having to face each other again. But outside the stalls the bathroom is quiet. It doesn't look like the cheerleader is going anywhere.

A couple of minutes later, she hears Trini flushing the toilet and stepping out of the stall.

"I've been thinking," Kim hears Amanda say after a few seconds of awkward silence, "About what you said yesterday."

"I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have implied something so serious in front of everyone."

 _What the hell is happening?!_ Kim is screaming internally. _Why are they being so civil with each other?_

"It's okay. It's not like I was being nice, either."

"Are you even capable of that?" Kim has to bite the inside of her cheek to not laugh at what Trini just said.

"If the occasion arises," Amanda makes a pause and then continues, "Listen, could we maybe talk? Like, outside school?"

"Are you sure about that? People could see you with me."

"People already talk shit about me, and honestly? I'm starting to not care at all."

"That's a good attitude to have," There's a second of silences, and then she hears Trini sigh, "Okay, I can compromise on a coffee and a good pair of ears."

"That's all I need. After school today? There's a little café at Lorne Street, if that's okay?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm going to..."

"Yeah, of course."

"See you later, then?"

"Sure."

The door open and closes, and Kim finally lets go the breath she's been holding.

"You can come out now, Princess."

Ugh. Of course Trini knows that she's there. Stupid ranger senses.

Kimberly jumps down from the toilet and stretches her legs a little before opening the door, revealing Trini in front of her, leaning against the sink with a smug grin.

"You can't imagine how ironic this situation is right now." She says, restraining a chuckle, "It's really rude to listen to other people's conversations, you know?"

"I was here first."

"I know. That's why I came in the first place."

"You knew I was here?"

"Yeah. It just felt like you were having an internal crisis, kind of like I feel how Zack is craving a bag of chips right now."

"How come I can't do that? I can feel all of you when we are together, but it's not that strong that I would feel if Billy is excited about one of his projects when he's at home."

"I don't know," Trini answers with a shrug. She jumps effortlessly and sits on the sink's counter, "Maybe is because I practice Tai-chi. Like I'm more in tune with the mystics energies, or some shit like that."

"You are so weird." Kimberly laughs.

"Says the girl who hides in bathroom's stalls."

Kim growls, a little bit annoyed that her friend is making fun of her, and reaches to hit Trini playfully.

"Are you really going out with Amanda?" She asks then, trying to hide the fact that she's kind of worried about that turn of events.

"I'm not going out with her. We have a coffee date because she needs to talk to someone that won't judge her. That's all."

"After the way she's treated you?"

"I'm not one to hold grudges for long, you should know that Miss _lets-throw-this-girl-I-just-met-from-the-top-of-a-cliff_. Besides, I've dealt with worse bullies than her."

"You are a good person."

"I'm an okay human being, and so are you, for that matter."

"That's not what most people think."

"Well, most people are wrong," Trini smiles fondly at her, making Kimberly's heart grow ten times bigger, "You did something wrong, yes, but the only opinion you need to care about is the one from the people who loves you."

Is that an opening? Is Trini actually giving her the opportunity to ask now?

Kim sure isn't going to waste the chance.

"And... do you?" She steps closer to the other girl and asks shyly, while diverting her eyes to the floor, because she's too afraid of the answer, "Love me, I mean."

"Of course I do," Trini's reply is unequivocal, without any hint of hesitation in her voice, making Kim's heart skip a beat, "We're teammates, friends…"

 _Oh… of course she didn't mean it like…_

"…And possibly something _more_. But we'll have to discuss that option somewhere else that isn't a bathroom. This place is hardly the romantic setup that I had in mind."

Those words are all that Kimberly needed to know that she's not alone with her feelings, that she has not mistaken what they have. It's in the way the other girl talks about it, how she smiles, and the way she reaches with her hand to absently play with a lock of Kim's hair; it looks like she's been thinking about this for a while.

And suddenly, Kim's heart is doing somersaults, because this is real, this is happening. And then, a single thought is flooding her mind, and her mouth is acting without filter.

"What if I don't care about that stuff?" She says, still unable to look Trini in the eye, but stepping a little closer, enough to fit her body between the other girl's legs. "What if I just want you to kiss me right now?"

Trini's gentle fingers trace softly the outline of Kimberly's jaw, like she's the most precious thing her hands have ever touched.

"Kim, you've just realized that you're attracted to me. There's no need to rush things."

"But..."

The bell rings then, and Kimberly curses under her breath. Trini, smirking, leans towards her, gives Kim a quick kiss on the cheek, and jumps from the counter, before strutting towards the bathroom's door.

"Go to class, Princess."

Kim is pretty sure that the goddamn Universe hates her today.

* * *

 _The third time, she's sitting with Trini in a cosy little corner of the newly re-opened Kryspy Kreme, and it feels like a first date._

It's been two days since they talked at the school's bathroom, two days since Trini's mysterious coffee date with Amanda, which she hasn't said a word about it. Two long, excruciating days, where they haven't been able to spend more than ten minutes alone. Between school, the boys being always around, training, Trini's parents suddenly wanting to share a random family dinner at a restaurant in town..., last night Kim had been on the verge of running to her friend's house in the middle of the night to kidnap her.

It was almost as if Trini _knew_ how anxious she was, because before she could jump out of her window, her phone lit up with a new message.

 _Early breakfast tomorrow before detention?_

They have met outside the Krispy Kreme, Trini has said 'hey', she has said 'hi', then the shorter girl has taken Kim's hand and they've both walked inside together.

"So...," Kim begins to say, hiding her face behind her gigantic coffee mug, "Is this your idea of a romantic set-up?"

Trini laughs and takes a bite of the donut.

"No, you dumbass," She replies, "But you were losing your shit last night. It's crazy how you can go from zero to one hundred in a matter of seconds."

"Just three days ago I realized that I like you, and only because I was insecure after seeing you with Amanda and you mentioned having feelings for me. I'm allowed to have a little meltdown, don't you think?"

"Yes, and that's why I didn't want to rush things in the first place."

"How can you be so calm about this?"

"I had my own meltdown a few months back, Princess. Had some time to think about it."

"Months!?" Kim shrieks, making a few customers turn their head towards them. She shrinks a little into her chair and lowers her voice, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because, for a while, I felt stupid," She admits, "I was a walking lesbian cliché, falling for the straight girl. It wasn't until a few weeks after the battle with Rita, when everyone's emotions started to be like a constant humming at the back of my brain, that I realized that, maybe, I wasn't so stupid."

"You've felt like this since the beginning?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Well, not like I feel right now, but I've been attracted to you since before you even noticed I existed."

"You liked me when I was a bitch?"

"I was _attracted_ to you, like half the school, probably. I didn't have to actually like you, there's a difference."

And Kimberly sees something in the other girl's eyes, something that she's seen before in the eyes of a lot of boys at school when she was the popular cheerleader.

"You liked the uniform," Kim states while smirking.

"Of course I liked it. I'm not made of stone, Kimberly Hart."

"Well, if I'm being honest, these last days I've realized that I was paying a bit too much attention to you while training."

"Ooh, I _know,_ believe me."

"Okay, that is so not fair," Kim leans back, crossing her arms and frowning, "You have to teach me how to feel you."

"All in due time, Kimmy," Trini raises an eyebrow and tries to hide her smirk behind the coffee mug, which makes Kim realize the double meaning of her words.

"You are the worst."

"And yet you like me."

"I'm starting to wonder why."

Trini puts her coffee on the table, takes the last bite of the donut they were sharing, and then stands up from her chair. She goes to Kim's side, and taking advantage of being the taller one for once, leans a little over the other girl.

"Because I'm nice, and I treat you well," She says softly, placing a kiss on the top of Kimberly's head, as if it was the most natural thing to do in the world, "I'm still hungry. Want anything else?"

Kim shakes her head, speechless after the sweet gesture from the other girl, and watches Trini walk towards the barista.

She's so mesmerized, staring at the girl from afar, wondering how she could have been so blind and not realizing before how she felt, that Kimberly doesn't notice the cheerleaders until they're invading Trini's space.

If it was only Amanda, Kim would still be wary of her intentions, even if she's been being civil the last few days, but she wouldn't really worry. But, at Amanda's side, Harper is frowning at whatever her friend is saying to Trini, and that's what really causes the slight panic attack that Kim is having right now.

If someone could bring the worst parts of her former friend out, that's the Second Bitch in Charge.

But, by the way it looks, Harper is as confused with this weird exchange as Kim has been for the last few days.

As if she knew what's going through her mind, Trini ignores Amanda for a second and turns her head to the side to look at Kim. When their eyes met, the other girl smiles and mouths a simple ' _relax'_ , before going back to whatever the cheerleader is saying.

And she tries; she really does, but those weird moments between her former ex-best friend and the girl that, _hopefully_ , soon will be her girlfriend, are starting to really irk her.

* * *

 _The fourth time, Amanda isn't even there._

Kim is falling in love, and it's fast, out of her control, and totally unexpected.

The first days after meeting Trini, they were so focused on becoming Rangers, training and trying to morph before the battle, that she really didn't have time to _know_ the other girl. She had learnt that the Yellow Ranger was quiet, that she liked to keep her distance, and that she rarely talked about herself. They only knew a bit about Trini's situation at home after the first bonfire, but beyond that, the girl always tried to avoid any conversation regarding her family or her past before they came to Angel Grove. In a matter of days, that distant and cold demeanour, together with the memory of her fellow ranger ripping off her locker's door without a second thought gave birth to the Badass Lone Wolf Trini persona in Kim's mind.

It wasn't until later, after the battle, after they had started to heal, physically and emotionally, that Kim discovered how little she knew.

Trini is quiet most of the time, yes, she mostly likes to watch and learn about people, but she can also talk for hours when she's passionate about something. She talks about her brothers a lot, and it's clear that, even if things at home aren't perfect, Trini loves her family to death.

She's fierce, strong, resolute, and stubborn, she's like a wild fire, brazen and daring in everything she does. But at the same time she's collected, weights in all her decisions, thinks twice her actions, and her hands, while lethal sometimes, are gentle and caring.

Trini is fire, a storm, but also the soothing breeze that brings you peace.

"You still haven't kissed me."

"I know."

"Why?" Kim asks her, opening her eyes and sighing in frustration.

But the other girl doesn't look at her. She just smiles, with the most peaceful expression on her face.

"I want it to be special."

They've been at Trini's spot at the top of the mines for a while, seating cross-legged in front of each other, with their eyes closed, although Kim opens them a little from time to time, to peek at the girl in front of her.

Because she's _so_ beautiful.

"We're alone, seating on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere, with the sun setting in front of us. That's not special?"

"We are here to teach you how to concentrate on the Ranger bond."

"Well, that's not working out."

"Because you are too impatient." Trini takes a deep breath, finally opening her eyes, "Okay, let's try something else."

She scoots closer and, leaning forward, takes Kim's hands in her own.

"You are going to close your eyes again," She says, but Kim is pouting and refusing to do so, "Kim..., close your eyes."

"Okay, okay."

"Good. Now, concentrate on my hands, on the way my skin is touching your skin." Slowly, Trini starts stroking softly the outside of Kimberly's hands with her thumbs, "How does that feel?"

"Nice," Kim answers, "Really nice."

"And _how_ do you feel?"

"Content, calm..."

"Okay, that's great," Trini continues, "Now, take a deep breath, keep focusing on my touch, and try to look beyond that. Can you feel anything else?"

Kimberly is quiet for a moment. Trini's hands are warm, and her voice, soft and gentle, echoes in the deepest parts of her heart, filling it with joy.

And that's what she's about to tell her, when something changes and, suddenly, she feels something running down her face.

Kim, overwhelmed, opens her eyes and blinks.

"It's okay, Kim," She says, reaching to wipe some of the tears from Kimberly's cheeks, "Zack must be home, already."

"Zack?"

"That overwhelming sadness you just felt," The other girl explains, "That's him. His mom is having a really bad week."

"But how do you know it's him?"

"Of all of us, he's the one who feels more intensely," She says, "Since we became rangers, I've had this bunch of emotions, like a buzzing at the back of my head, but I didn't really pay attention to it. Until one day. I was just getting home after training, when suddenly all I wanted to do was cry. I knew it wasn't me, I had no reason to be sad that day, but I couldn't stop it. Then, Zack texted me that he needed someone to talk to and I knew."

"I knew it was bad, but..." Kim says, still trying to recover from the overwhelming feelings of the other ranger.

"It kept happening," Trini continues, "And soon I realized that, whenever I felt Zack's feelings, there was a black aura surrounding them. So, I started to test the connection with the others as well."

"That's how you know? Our colors?"

"Yeah," The other girl snorts, as if she just remembered something funny, "Sometimes I'm just reading in bed, and suddenly all I see is pink, and I'm like ' _goddamnit Kim!'._ "

"Oh my god..." Kimberly's face is starting to feel really hot, even if the air is getting chilly, "You can feel _everything_?"

And Trini smirks, because she knows what Kim really means.

"When it's strong enough, yeah."

"Oh my God."

"It really baffles me how long it's taken you to realize why you were so horny after training, sometimes."

"Oh my god!"

"You've said that already," Trini is now full on laughing, "If it makes you feel better, it happens to me, too."

"It doesn't make me feel better!" Kimberly exclaims, with her face red as a tomato now, "Well, kind of, but that's not the point!"

"Don't worry, Princess. I wouldn't like someone else invading my most private moments, so I tried to learn how to control it, to turn it off."

"And it works?"

"Most of the time, yes."

"You have to teach me."

"That's what I'm trying to do."

"And the boys. You'll have to teach them, too," Kim says, a little crinkle forming between her brows, "If the bond gets stronger and we all start feeling each other like you do..."

"I know. I've already been talking to Zordon about it," The other girl reassures her, "He says that our ranger bond is stronger than most of the previous teams, and that being able to feel what another ranger feels is not unprecedented, just rare. I think Billy is starting to notice, too."

Kim smiles fondly at the mention of the boy.

"And you, Princess, are halfway there."

"So, if I wanted to, let's say... know what you're feeling right now," Kim leans closer, staying just a few inches away from Trini's face, and one of her hands reaches to play with the other girl's hair, "What should I do?"

Trini closes her eyes, smiling with content, and answers.

"Look for the yellow."

And Kimberly shuts her eyes, too, and breathes, and concentrates, and thinks of Trini's smile, until she finds it. The sun behind her eyelids, the warm enveloping her heart like a soothing veil, the happiness sprinkled with a little bit of fear, the love...

Kim opens her eyes again, finding the most beautiful ones she's ever seen staring back at her.

"Yeah," Trini says softly, "Like that."

"I..."

But whatever Kim was going to say, is interrupted by Trini's phone ringing.

"Sorry," She says reaching for it just to decline the call, before looking at the messages she's got, "It's my mom. I told her I was going to be working on a project with you until late. She wants to know if I'm going to get home for dinner."

"Well, we could grab something on the way back?" Kim suggests with a bit of hesitation in her voice, "And we could go back to mine, maybe?"

Trini gives her a knowing grin, making Kim blush again, and proceeds to type a reply to her mother. She's about to lock her phone again when something seems to catch her attention.

"What?" Kim asks, leaning closer to look at the screen, and then she stares at Trini, puzzled, "Why does Amanda has you number?"

"Because I gave it to her."

"But why?" Kim insists.

"Because she needs somebody to talk to."

"She has friends for that."

"You know better than anyone that that's not true, Princess." She says, staring at Kim with a raised eyebrow.

"I still don't know why it has to be you."

Trini grumbles, frustrated with Kimberly's attitude towards the situation, but after taking a deep breath, she moves from her spot on the rock and sits right between Kim's legs, leaning heavily against the other girl. That seems to make her stop talking. Instinctively, Kimberly surrounds Trini's petite body with her arms, keeping her in a tight embrace.

"You should talk to her," Trini says after a couple of minutes.

"I don't think there's a way to fix it."

"There is. You just have to stop acting like children and actually talk."

"We've already said too many things."

"But not the right ones."

Kim sighs heavily, defeated. Trini is too stubborn for her own good.

"Okay," She says finally, "One try."

"Great," Without warning, Trini gets free from Kim's arms, and stands up, reaching out to help the other girl to also get up from the rock, "Come on, let's go back. I'm hungry and you promised food."

Trini is already walking towards the road, and Kim's still picking up her things, when a thought pops up in her head again.

"Hey!" Kimberly shouts from where she's standing, "You still haven't kissed me!"

* * *

 _This time, they are all sitting together at the café, but they still haven't said a word._

"This is getting ridiculous." Trini says, obviously exasperated, "Last night you two agreed to talk. That concept implies that you should be exchanging words."

But Kimberly and Amanda just keep staring at each other, neither of them wanting to be the first to cave.

"Okay, I've had enough." This time, the girl gets up from her chair and starts walking away, "You two can keep staring at each other all day if you want, but I'm going over there," She gestures towards the counter, "And I'm going to flirt with that cute new barista to see if I can get a donut for free."

"Don't you dare," Kim says a bit outraged.

"Why can't she?" Amanda interjects, "Trini is right. That girl _is_ cute."

Kimberly's head turns so fast to stare again at Amanda that she's sure her ranger's speed had something to do with it.

"What!?"

"Surprise! They aren't mute!" The tiny girl raises her arms dramatically, "Now, talk."

Kim's eyes follow her all the way to the counter where, true to her word, a pretty brunette is waiting for her order with a charming smile.

She grunts, and Amanda must have found it funny because she chuckles a bit.

"If I was that barista, I would totally go for it."

"But you are not," Kim says, staring back at Amanda with a scowl in her face, "And you _wouldn't."_

"I would," She replies. Kim has known her for so long that she can read Amanda's expressions like an open book, and she's dead serious right now, "In fact, I would have done it already if that girl wasn't crazy about you."

"Wait... what?!" Kimberly asks, puzzled, "B-but you..." She stutters, "You can't. She not... she's not your _type."_

"Why not? She's nice, funny, _genuine_ , and very easy on the eyes."

"But you are not..."

"The fact that I never told you doesn't mean that I haven't thought about it before."

"You were mean to her, _cruel,_ you called her..." Kim stops, because she can't imagine herself saying that word out loud.

"I know, and I really regret it. I was trying to get back at to you through her, and I went too far. I didn't want to keep going, but Harper kept pushing, and Trini wasn't backing down, and I was _furious_."

"What the hell did Trini say to you? Because you made a one eighty on her after that."

"She questioned my reasons to send you that picture in the first place."

"I also said that it was weird, because it looked like she wanted to catch your attention, not Ty's." Trini has chosen that moment to come back to the table. She puts one of the recently acquired pastries in front of Kim, and then proceeds to seat again next to her, "It would have caught mine, by the way."

"Yeah?" Amanda asks, giving Trini a smirk.

"Definitely." Trini shrugs nonchalantly, "But our dear Kimberly was too focused on her douchebag of a boyfriend to read between the lines."

"She can be a little obtuse, sometimes."

"Understatement of the century."

Kim is starting to get fed up with how this conversation is going. She doesn't like the easiness of their interactions, how comfortable they are with each other, their little inside jokes, as if they've been friends since forever. Kim hasn't even seen her teammate talk so much with someone that isn't a Power Ranger, and even then, she's usually very short with her words.

"Enough," She finally says, "I don't know in what moment I entered the twilight zone, but _this_ happening right here?" Kim gestures at them, "This is not normal. It's weird, and confusing, and I'm starting to freak out."

"What is freaking you out exactly, Kimmy?" Amanda asks, amused, and with a trace of bitterness in her voice, "The fact that I can be friends with someone you would have called a loser if you were still a cheerleader? That Trini accepted my apology, because I _did_ apologize after what I did, and she's been kind enough to not judge me and just listen to me these past few days? Or because all this happened in the first place because I was too scared to accept that I liked you, and you were an insecure little bitch who cared more about her reputation than about her best friend?"

Kim doesn't know how to react after that. She hasn't been expecting Amanda to be so forward about everything. Honestly? It hurts, because she knows that the other girl is mostly right, that everything she did was because she was an immature child who valued popularity and frivolous relationships more than a true friend.

But all that has changed. Kim has changed, and she can start to make things right.

"I..." Kimberly hesitates, and turns to Trini, maybe to find some support. The Yellow Ranger nods at her encouragingly. "I d-don't really know what to say."

"Well, _I'm sorry_ would be a nice start."

"I am. Sorry, I-huh, I m-mean," Kim stumbles over her own words, "I _am_ sorry. I was sorry the second I did it. You are right," She tells Amanda, "I was an insecure bitch, and when everything blew up I was a coward. I've been a coward since then."

Amanda hums in agreement, while she leans a little forward to steal a bit of Kim's donut.

"Well, I'll admit that I haven't been the easier person to approach. I guess I made it difficult for you to apologize."

"You were a raging bitch."

"You humiliated me in front of the whole school. My _father_ saw that picture, Kim. I'm entitled to be a bit vengeful."

Kim lowers her head in shame, and starts playing absently with the hem of her shirt. She knows perfectly how her acts hurt the other girl, and she's been beating herself up over the consequences of them, of being reckless and doing things without thinking. Kim is trying to change that, to be a better person, to think about others instead of her first, to help instead of cause trouble. She's trying to earn the right to be called a Power Ranger because, honesty? Kim is still trying to understand why she was chosen in the first place. That's why having someone telling her how much she screwed up, how she didn't deserve to receive that coin, hurts so much.

Trini must have sensed how she's feeling, because suddenly there's a hand squeezing her own, and giving her some comfort and serenity.

"I'm not going to ask for forgiveness," She finds the courage to say, "Because I know I crossed a line. I just...," She takes a deep breath, "Could we try to be civil, at least?"

"That depends," Amanda answers, "Are you going to go crazy on me every time I want to steal your girlfriend for a coffee?"

Only one word from Amanda's sentence registers in Kim's mind, because even if she's been thinking about it, hearing someone else say is completely different.

"I... she's n-not my..." Kim's words stack up in her mouth because she really doesn't know how to answer. They haven't even kissed yet. How is she going to assume something like that? "We're not..."

"She'll behave."

Trini is the one who, seeing her hesitation, replies to Amanda.

"Then, I can accept a truce," The cheerleader extends her hand towards Kim, and waits for her to do the same, "I'll even try to keep an eye on Harper and the rest of the squad. For Trini, obviously, not for you."

Kimberly mirrors Amanda's gesture, and the moment they shake their hands, she feels the heavy weight that's been on her shoulders for months, go away.

* * *

"Did you really get those donuts for free?"

"Are you asking me if I flirted with that barista?"

"Did you?"

Trini's laugh echoes around them, and Kimberly thinks it's the most beautiful sound she's even heard.

After they left the café, the girls decided to spend the rest of the day together, so Trini texted her mother that she wouldn't be home until later that night, Kimberly texted the boys that they'd probably miss training today, and they stopped by Kim's home to get some food and a couple of blankets. Now, they are sitting together, side by side, against a tree at Kimberly's favorite spot, away from the real world.

"Don't worry, Princess, I like to pay for my food," She reassures Kim, "Do I have to worry about this possessive side of yours?"

"I don't know. Are you going to start being _friendly_ with every single girl who smiles at you?"

"Kim, you should know by now that I'm very picky when it comes to who I'm friendly with."

"You were with Amanda."

"I was not. Well, not at first. She needed someone who could understand what she was going through," Trini explains, "But I have to admit that I also did it for you."

"For me?" Kim asks, confused.

"You needed closure. If helping her I could help you, it's worth the trouble."

"So..., you're not going to be best buddies with Amanda and her troupe?"

Trini roars with laughter, making Kim feel a bit stupid for even asking something like that.

"God, no!" The other girl manages to say while trying to catch her breath, "Can you imagine?"

"Harper would have a stroke," Kimberly starts laughing too, picturing the situation in her head. It would be hilarious to see how the popular kids would react if Amanda decided that she wanted to be friends with Trini in public.

"Besides," Trini continues, "I already have an annoying best friend, and that's enough for me."

"I hope you're talking about Zack."

"Why? You don't want to be my best friend?"

"I want to be something else."

"That's why you brought me to this beautiful, romantic hideout of yours?"

"Maybe." She says taking Trini's hand in her own, and absently playing with her fingers, "You still haven't kissed me."

"Mhm… How do you feel right now?"

And Kim just growls and curses under her breath because, at this point, Trini is being just plain cruel.

"Frustrated," She answers with a snarl.

"I know that," The other girl smirks, amused, "And you know that's not what I was asking."

"I know," She sighs, accepting that Trini is too stubborn and she's not going to get what she wants, "I guess I feel... better. Lighter?"

"Happy?" Trini asks, gently touching Kim's chin with her free hand, and guiding her head until their eyes meet.

"Getting there."

"Good," She barely whispers, and Kim can feel the girl's warm breath against her lips, "Because I've been holding back for too long."

And then it happens.

And Kimberly's mind is screaming ' _finally_! _'_

And she feels _everything._

In that moment, with Trini burying her hands in Kim's hair, bringing them impossibly closer, when soft lips part and an adventurous tongue asks Kim's permission for more, when she starts to feel every touch beyond her skin..., she understands why Trini has waited so long. She wanted this moment to feel right, to give Kimberly something so special that could reach any dark corner left in her heart, and erase every single bad thought in her mind, at least for a moment.

And then Trini is softly whispering in her ear.

"Aren't beginnings like this worth the wait?"

 _ **Fin**_


End file.
